Deal between pair of New York foodservice equipment and supplies dealers set to close in March.

In a move aimed to spur additional growth, Premium Supply Co., a Deer Park, N.Y.-based foodservice equipment and supplies dealer, has agreed to acquire the assets of Tassone Equipment, a dealership based in Syosset, N.Y. The financial terms of the deal, which is expected to close in March 2012, were not disclosed.

"I felt the organic growth associated with waiting for the economy to get stronger was taking too long," said Jay Pattinger, president of Premium Supply Co. "Ultimately, we decided to take a chunk of the market instead of waiting for it to come to us. We know that the economy will eventually come back and when people are ready to do business we are ready right from the start."

As part of the transaction, owners Donald Tassone and Frank Nasta, as well as senior account executive George Nasta and other key sales personnel will join Premium Supply. The details of the transition are being worked out at the moment.

Reporting $21 million in sales for 2010, Premium was the 51st largest foodservice equipment and supplies dealer in the country, according to FE&S' 2011 Distribution Giants Study. FE&S estimated Tassone's 2010 sales at $10 million, placing it 94th on the list. FE&S will publish the results from its 2012 Distribution Giants study in the magazine's April issue.

Premium was attracted to Tassone for a variety of reasons. "Tassone's business was pretty healthy. They were a profitable company and are very service oriented. They have a tremendous relationship with their customers, which means they fit well with us," said Pattinger.

Pattinger describes Premium as having a relatively broad customer base, one that includes local chains, some seasonal beachfront operators, and a variety of other foodservice operators in different parts of the region. Tassone, Pattinger pointed out, was very strong with fine dining establishments, country clubs and other operators that are not traditionally a part of Premium's client mix. "So in good times and bad times, we are consistent. And when times are really good, we thrive because of our diversity," he said.

In fact, Pattinger foresees very little overlap between the two companies' customers. "It adds us to a new customer base and a bit of a larger geographical area. And there are tremendous synergies with our inventory," he said.